Do you need a solar permit in Maryland?
By Mario Bailey Last checked
- Always required
- 4
- of 4 jurisdictions
- Conditional
- 0
- depends on size or scope
- Not required
- 0
- exempt outright
Solar Permit rules nationwide, beyond Maryland.
Requirements and size thresholds for solar permits vary by locality. The table below compares what each Maryland county or city requires. Always confirm with the local office before starting.
Comparing states? See solar permit rules across every locality we cover.
What to know about solar permits in Maryland
Solar permits in Virginia usually cover the rooftop PV system and its electrical interconnection. Costs depend on system size and your locality, and many homeowners weigh financing options such as solar loans against paying up front. Some Virginia localities use SolarAPP+ for faster automated approvals. Always use a licensed electrical or solar contractor, since the work must pass inspection.
The application steps and inspection sequence for solar permits come from the model code rather than from Maryland law, so they read the same wherever you build. We keep that walkthrough in one place: how a solar permit application and its inspections work, start to finish. What changes between Maryland jurisdictions is below: who requires a permit, what they charge, and which office you file with.
Swipe sideways to see thresholds and confidence.
| Locality | Permit required? | Typical threshold | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Howard County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Montgomery County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Prince George's County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| No localities match your filter. | |||
What a solar permit costs in Maryland
4 Maryland jurisdictions we cover publish a fee figure for this work. Each line is quoted from that office's own schedule and linked to its citation. The figures are not comparable to one another: some are flat minimums, some a percentage of job value, some charged per fixture, so what you pay depends on which schedule applies and on your job's valuation.
Building Permit Fee Schedule effective 07/01/26: Solar Power System, Residential (Roof and Ground Mounted) $100.00, plus the $75.00 residential permit application fee. Electrical Permit Fee Schedule effective 11/26/18: Solar Photovoltaic System, Residential $74.00.
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$50 per structure for a residential roof- or ground-mounted solar collector (Miscellaneous Structures Accessory permit, FY2027 fee schedule); commercial solar arrays use a separate per-panel fee tier
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$261.18 flat for rooftop solar panels, with a reduced $130.59 fee for rooftop solar panel refer-backs, per DPS-Fees-ResConst-FY27.pdf effective 2026-07-01
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DPIE Fee Schedule, effective March 2, 2025: "Solar Panels (Roof-mounted) - Residential", minimum permit fee $158, "Total Fee = Administrative Fee $66 + Building Permit Fee ($0.03 per watt or $158, whichever is greater) + $5 M-NCPPC. Plus Technology Fee 10%"; "Solar Panels (Ground-mounted) - Residential", same $158 minimum and per-watt formula but adding a $53 Grading Fee and a $112 U&O fee. A separate "Electrical Permit Fee - Solar PV System - (Group of 100 Panels)" of $95 applies, plus the $66 administrative fee and the 10% technology fee.
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Jurisdictions not listed publish no dollar figure we could quote. Absence does not mean a permit is free.
Common questions about solar permits in Maryland
- Do I need a solar permit in Maryland?
- In most of Maryland, yes. Permits are issued locally, so the answer comes from your Maryland city or county rather than a single statewide rule. Of the 4 Maryland jurisdictions we have verified for solar work, 4 require a permit outright, 0 depend on the size or scope of the job, and 0 require none.
Ready to move on your solar permit?
Hire it out
Before you sign, ask the contractor:
- Who pulls the permit, you or me, and is the permit fee included in the bid?
- Which inspections will this job need, and who meets the inspector on site?
- Is your contractor license active in this locality, and under which business name?